Why High-Achieving Women Stay Stuck in Survival Mode (And How to Break Free) | Dr. Alaina Puff

Are you constantly busy, successful on paper, but secretly exhausted? In this episode of Push Pause to Heal, Dr. Emily sits down with psychologist, speaker, and trauma-informed coach Dr. Alaina Puff to explore why so many high-achieving women stay stuck in survival mode—and how reconnecting with yourself may be the key to lasting healing. Together, they discuss why slowing down feels so difficult, how childhood experiences shape our nervous systems, the connection between chronic stress and chronic illness, and practical ways to begin feeling safe in your own body again. In this episode, you'll learn: ✔ Why high-achieving women often feel disconnected from themselves ✔ What it really means to live in "survival mode" ✔ How childhood conditioning shapes our nervous system ✔ Why stress and nervous system dysregulation impact physical health ✔ How somatic healing and mindfulness can help you reconnect with your body ✔ Simple daily practices to begin regulating your nervous system ✔ Why healing starts by creating safety—not by trying harder One of my favorite takeaways from this conversation is that healing doesn't begin when you do more. It begins when you create enough space to hear what your body has been trying to tell you all along. About Dr. Alaina Puff Dr. Alaina Puff is a psychologist, speaker, trauma-informed coach, and founder of FlowState Coaching & Consulting. She helps ambitious women unlearn survival patterns, reconnect with themselves, and lead from a place of authenticity rather than exhaustion. 🌐 Website: https://www.flowstatecc.com/ 📱 Instagram: @dralainapuff About Push Pause to Heal Hosted by Dr. Emily Roedersheimer, board-certified Functional Medicine physician and founder of Balanced Living Functional Medicine, Push Pause to Heal explores the root causes of chronic illness and helps women create lasting health through lifestyle medicine, nervous system regulation, and functional medicine. Each episode offers practical tools to help you slow down, reconnect with your body, and discover that healing begins from the inside out. 🌿 Learn more: https://balancedlivingfm.com (https://balancedlivingfm.com/) 📩 Join our weekly email community for practical health tips, podcast highlights, and encouragement: https://balancedlivingfm.com (https://balancedlivingfm.com/) 👍 If you enjoyed this episode, please Like, Subscribe, and Share it with someone who may need this message today.